JOIN USChief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday it would be difficult for the State to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu this month owing to severe drought in Karnataka.
When mediapersons drew his attention toTamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha’s recent petition seeking intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Karnataka government release the remaining quota of water, Siddaramaiah said it would not be possible to fulfil the demand.
Siddaramaiah was in Mysuru to inaugurate a part of under-construction district law court complex.
The chief minister said: “The State is facing severe drought in 40 years. The dams are half their capacity and it is imperative to store available water for drinking purposes. Whenever there was adequate supply, water was released, including in the recent month of July.”
He said, “There is no reason to deny water to Tamil Nadu, but given the distress period, all the states concerned should share the distress.”
The chief minister said that according to the ordersof the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have to adopt a distress formula for sharing water in times of trouble.
Deve Gowda reacts
JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has urged the Prime Minister to give “careful consideration” to Jayalalitha’s request.
Speaking to reporters Gowda appealed Modi to send a team to Karnataka for studying water levels in all the reservoirs and the state of standing crops, before considering the TN’s demand.